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Tips From the Great Depression on How to Survive Hard Times

I’ve had the benefit and privilege of knowing several people, including family members that survived the “Great Depression”, and of hearing how they did it. Most of my family knew how to farm, hunt, fish, and trade.

Today, however, I want to talk about one man’s experience and the advice he gave me concerning surviving hard times in general.

This man lived just North of Arcadia, Louisiana. His father owned a country store that he later took over. Money and many food items were hard to come by along with some fuel items. Mr. Perritt began to trade with the people in his community. He would trade something he had and someone else needed for something they had and he needed.

The community was mostly farm and ranch. Not everyone grew the same things and Mr. Perritt got them to bring their crops to him. He had a gristmill and could produce cornmeal from the corn grown in the area. One could come there and trade beans and peas for corn and potatoes and such.